Lausanne Peace Treaty of 24 July 1923: A Critical Assessment of Hans-Lucas Kieser’s When Democracy Died: The Middle East’s Enduring Peace of Lausanne

Öz

The Treaty of Lausanne, signed on 24 July 1923 between Turkey and the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan, Greece, Romania and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, is the only treaty freely negotiated by the parties following the First World War which is still valid presently. The treaty was widely discussed in Turkey and abroad in 2023, the centenary of its signing. In his book, the Swiss-German history professor Hans-Lukas Kieser addresses the topics he covers not so much from the perspective of the Republic of Turkey but rather from the perspective of Armenians, Kurds, Assyrians and other minorities, and claims that the treaty legitimised the genocide these groups suffered at the hands of the Turks. It is evident that Kieser has used sources in the literature incompletely and incorrectly. Furthermore, he has clearly distorted concepts such as peace, democracy, ethnic cleansing and genocide from their true meanings. The book claims that the Nazis “sent poison gas to Ankara for the killing of Alevi Kurds during the Dersim genocide”, that 10,000 Armenians were massacred by Turks in Maraş in February 1920, and that Armenian representatives received strong moral and intellectual support at the League of Nations Council’s 1921 meetings. However, no documents or concrete evidence have been produced to substantiate these allegations. When Democracy Died: The Middle East’s Enduring Peace of Lausanne does not make a positive contribution to the increasingly developed field of contemporary Turkish studies, nor does it constitute a substantial addition to the ongoing debates regarding the Treaty of Lausanne.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Lausanne
• Turks
• Armenians
• Kurds
• Missionaries

24 Temmuz 1923 Lozan Barış Antlaşması: Hans-Lucas Kieser’in When Democracy Died: The Middle East’s Enduring Peace of Lausanne Adlı Eserinin Eleştirel Bir Değerlendirmesi

Öz

Türkiye ile İngiltere, Fransa, İtalya, Japonya, Yunanistan, Romanya ve Sırp- Hırvat-Sloven Krallığı arasında 24 Temmuz 1923 tarihinde imzalanan Lozan Barış Antlaşması Birinci Dünya Savaşından sonra taraflarca serbest bir şekilde müzakere edilen ve muteberliği günümüze kadar süren yegane antlaşmadır. Antlaşma, imzalanmasının 100. yılı olan 2023’de Türkiye’de ve yurtdışında genişçe tartışılmıştır. İsviçreli Alman tarih profesörü Hans-Lukas Kieser kitabında işlediği konuları Türkiye Cumhuriyeti perspektifinden ziyade Ermeni, Kürt, Asuri ve diğer azınlıklar açısından ele almakta ve antlaşmanın bu grupların Türklerin elinde uğradıkları soykırımı meşrulaştırdığını iddia etmektedir. Kieser’in literatürdeki kaynakları eksik ve yanlış kullandığı; ayrıca, barış, demokrasi, etnik temizlik ve soykırım gibi kavramları gerçek anlamlarından açıkça çarpıttığı görülmektedir. Kitapta, Nazilerin “Dersim soykırımı sırasında Alevi Kürtlerin öldürülmesi için Ankara’ya zehirli gaz gönderdikleri”, Şubat 1920’de Maraş’ta 10.000 Ermeni’nin Türklerce katledildiği ve Ermeni temsilcilerinin Milletler Cemiyeti Konseyinin 1921 tarihli toplantılarında kuvvetli manevi ve fikri destek gördükleri gibi dayanaksız iddialara da yer verilmektedir. Ancak bu suçlamaları kanıtlayacak hiçbir belge ve somut delil ortaya konamamaktadır. When Democracy Died: The Middle East’s Enduring Peace of Lausanne gittikçe gelişen çağdaş Türk araştırmaları alanına olumlu bir katkı sağlamamakta ve Lozan Barış Antlaşması hakkında halen devam etmekte olan tartışmalara sağlam bir ilave teşkil etmemektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Lozan
• Türkler
• Ermeniler
• Kürtler
• Misyonerler

Kaynakça

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